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Old 10-20-2004, 04:15 PM   #10 (permalink)
hotdogg
Crazy
 
Location: NYC Metro Area
I have had salt water fish and corals for over twenty years...The more water and the least amount of fish the better off you are. Trickle down filters work the best...the oxygenation reduces and removes pollutants much faster than sealed fiter systems. Products like Bio Balls provide a lot of surface medium and the more oxygenated filtration you have, the healtier your tank will be...also consider a protein skimmer.

Keep your specific gravity to the low end, most parasites like a heavier salt content...Keep chemicals out of your tank, if you must use somthing, use it in your hospital tank. Not all fish are created equal, make sure the are hardy and can co-exist with the other fish in the tank. Make sure there are plenty of places for your fish to hide in your tank.

Some fish will only eat live food, some fish (surgeon fish and angels) will eat 75% of their natual diet in vegetation(a leaf of romaine is always in my tank)

I have a 100 gallon show tank with a 70 gallon tank being used as a filter...The 70 gallon filter has a protein skimmer working with it and four cubic feet of bio balls as a fiter medium...It is pumped into the show tank with a "little giant" pump capable of 250 gallons per hour. From the show tank via gravity back to the "filter tank"

I have 9 fish and a few corals (Mostly leathers and stag horns)...The fish are all at least 4-5 years old...Other than a 10 gallon water change every two months the system needs no maintenance...All of my fish live off the "living rocks" or eat dried flake food.

Only a few live corals will work in a community tank, so decide whether your tank will be a "reef" tank or a "fish" tank....Reef tanks need very expensive lighting systems as well.

Lots of good thoughts from other members as well.
hotdogg is offline  
 

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